US President Donald Trump has taken a fresh jab at Canada, following the announcement of new US tariffs on imports from Mexico, Canada and China and the subsequent countermeasures from the three countries.
In a post on his social media platform, Truth Social, Trump wrote, “We pay hundreds of billions of dollars to support Canada. Why, though? There’s no reason for it. We need nothing from what they have.” The US, he claimed, has “unlimited energy” should manufacture its own cars and has more wood than it could ever use. “Without this massive subsidy, Canada would cease to exist as a viable country.” He repeated a previous statement that Canada should become the 51st US state, which would bring “much lower taxes and a far better military protection for the people of Canada – and no tariffs.”
Earlier, the US had announced a 25% tariff on all imports from Mexico and most goods from Canada, as well as a 10% tariff on energy products from Canada and Chinese goods, with the new tariff added to the existing one in the case of China.
Mexico has announced its own countermeasures and Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has stated that his country will introduce similar tariffs on some US goods.